CCEA: 'We are doing everything we can' for fair grading of NI students

  • On Friday, Ofqual (The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) announced details around how GCSE, AS and A level results will be awarded this summer in England and for those candidates in Northern Ireland taking their qualifications with other awarding organisations (AQA, Eduqas, OCR and Pearson).

    All 2020 summer exams in the UK have been cancelled to help fight the spread of coronavirus.

    In a letter to students, the regulatory exam department said schools and colleges would be asked to send two pieces of information for each of the student’s subjects, based on “the grade they believe you were most likely to get if teaching, learning and exams had happened as planned” and “the order of students at your school or college, by performance, for each grade.”

    Ofqual added that “this information will be used to standardise judgements – allowing fine tuning of the standard applied across schools and colleges.”

    RELATED: QUB needs participants for COVID-19 psychology survey

    The majority of candidates in Northern Ireland take their GCSE and A level qualifications with CCEA (Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment) which announced it “has made considerable progress in finalising the options for GCSE and GCE qualifications. 

    A spokesperson added: “These options will then be carefully considered by the Minister of Education.

    “We understand the urgent need for clarity for both students and teachers, and plan to rapidly implement the arrangements, once these are set out by the Minister of Education. We will also publish the process that we will follow to ensure grades are fair across all schools and colleges in Northern Ireland.

    “We want to reassure students, parents and teachers that we are doing everything we can to ensure that the full attainment of all students is fairly recognised, during this unprecedented time.  

    “As further information becomes available we will update schools and colleges with the guidance and also via www.ccea.org.uk. We would encourage students and parents to continue to liaise with their school for these updates.”

    RELATED: Udacity gives free access to its tech nanodegrees for 30 days

    About the author

    An article that is attributed to Sync NI Team has either involved multiple authors, written by a contributor or the main body of content is from a press release.

    Got a news-related tip you’d like to see covered on Sync NI? Email the editorial team for our consideration.

    Sign up now for a FREE weekly newsletter showcasing the latest news, jobs and events in NI’s tech sector.

Share this story